My Saving Grace
by CrazySkaterGirl17
Summary: Beatrice Prior has been abused by her father, Andrew Prior, since she was six. Now, she's sixteen and it's time for her Choosing Ceremony. She transfers to Dauntless to escape the grasps of her father. Beatrice plans to get through initiation without any bumps or curves, and to do that, she pushes everyone away. What happens when Tobias Eaton, her instructor, gets curious?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there! I'm here with a new Fanfic that I've wanted to write for awhile. Basically, it's Divergent if Tris's and Tobias's roles were switched. I really hope you guys like it! **

**Enjoy!**

"Abnegation!" I shriek in pain. "I got Abnegation!"

I wince as the belt slaps my back again, although I have long since gotten used to the pain. Andrew, my father - definitely not my dad - stands over my curled up body, his belt that he uses as a whip in his hand.

"And are you transferring?" he shouts. I hear a cracking sound as he brings the belt down again on my sore back. I'm wearing a plain grey shirt, as all Abnegation do, but because of the abuse, the back has been ripped more than twenty times through the course of this evening. It seems to be hanging off my body by a thread, and I'm surprised it hasn't fallen to the ground yet. It's no surprise that I have so many shirts in my closet - all plain, grey, and identical.

_Yes!_ I desperately want to say yes.

"No, I'm not!" I moan, wiping away a tear. I know I'm not going to stay in Abnegation, though. The thought of living with Andrew, of living in terror for the rest of my life sickens me.

With one last, sharp whip to my bleeding back, he kicks me away from him with his boot. I roll onto my stomach, groaning. Blood rolls off my back in tiny droplets, soaking into the carpeting. I'm drenched in sweat and fighting to stay awake.

"Good girl. Now go to sleep. If your up when I come to check on you..." He trails off, leaving the threat hanging in the tense air around us. However, I know that he'll come whip me anyway, awake or asleep.

I drag myself onto my feet and stagger to the bathroom. I open the drawer and snatch up the antiseptic and gauze that sit at the top of the pile of items, as if they anticipated my presence. It _is_ highly possible; I use them every night.

Now comes the tricky part. The cuts are all on my back, and most of them are at particularly hard to reach places - mainly the middle of my back. Although, years of practice - 10 years to be exact - has allowed me to master the skill.

* * *

At around three o'clock am, he comes hustling into my room. Throughout the night, I had been drifting in and out of consciousness and unconsciousness, dreadfully expecting Andrew's arrival. Now, as he enters, I'm wide awake, already bracing myself. And God, I try to look asleep, thinking maybe, just maybe, he won't actually hit me this time.

But he does.

"_This is for your own good_." His fist comes flying into my gut, and I let out a tiny squeak, before cutting myself off. I try to keep silent, because if I don't, it will be so much worse. The most unfortunate thing about these early morning punishments is that with my closed eyes, I can never know when he will first hit me. Typically, he only hits me a couple times, four at the maximum, but they are like he is hitting me with a metal brick, slamming my abdominal area over and over. Tonight is no different.

The moment he's satisfied and leaves, I relax the tension in my muscles, letting out heavy, relieved breaths. My head is spinning and it's as if something is clamping down on the sides of my face, squeezing my temples together. I'm so, so tired, due to the physical and mental stress.

_Abnegation. And Erudite. And Dauntless. _Those were my Aptitude Test results. I had gone into the testing room, expecting to receive Abnegation, one of the five factions that our society is divided into. I have to join one of those five factions tomorrow, during my Choosing Ceremony. I never would have thought that I would end up positive for three factions: Abnegation, the selfless, Erudite, and Dauntless, the brave. The last one I especially did not predict. How could I, Beatrice Prior, be even remotely brave? All my life, I have been cowering away from my father, dreading every single day that awaits me. However, I'm not surprised that I didn't get Candor, the honest and Amity, the peaceful. I am neither of those two.

I can't stay in Abnegation. I can't stay in the place where my deepest fear lives. I've never particularly liked the Erudite, and even though I hate Andrew, his words against the Erudite have some effect on me. But Dauntless? Filled with the train-jumping, adrenalin junkies? Filled with the people who risk their lives for fun?

I truly do not know.

* * *

My back aches. It normally does each morning, and I've learned to bear with it. Each morning is a struggle and each night is terrifying. I can only go through the motions.

Today is the day, though. Today, I will escape the grasps of my father.

I am required to go to classes for the first half of my day, and at noon, I go to my Choosing Ceremony. Classes go by quickly, but they are still fairly boring. I've never had an interest for learning.

I'm practically shaking by the time I walk into the Hub for the Choosing Ceremony. I've had all morning to ponder over my choices, but I still have no idea. We, as in all the sixteen year olds, walk into the Hub, some excited, some calm, and some, including me, walking slowly as if in a trance, like zombies.

I sit with my faction, and everyone else does the same. We all exchange polite nods, barely speaking to each other, unlike the Dauntless who are slapping each other on the back, so hard that I wonder how they don't seem to be in pain, and laughing like maniacs. Or the Candor, in which every one of them seems to be in a heated debate of some kind.

That is, until Andrew, my father hushes everyone.

He speaks so formally, so kindly, that it's almost impossible to tell that it's only a mask, set up for the public to see. I wrinkle my nose in disgust. My father is the leader of the government and also the leader of Abnegation, so everyone assumes that he's the definition of selflessness and that I will follow in his footsteps. Ha.

He talks about the factions and how they keep society in order and that without them, our world would be chaotic. And then he talks about the Choosing Ceremony, which is when all sixteen year olds must choose the faction that they will live in for the rest of their lives. But only if they pass initiation, the process of tests that determine whether an initiate is fitting for the faction. If not, the initiate becomes factionless and is sent to live poorly on the streets with all of the others. My faction, Abnegation, is the one that usually tends to the factionless and provides them with food and water.

Finally, Andrew begins the Choosing process. He calls out names in backwards alphabetical order by last name. With the last name Prior, I am somewhere near the middle.

I don't hear the names, or Andrew shouting the faction they chose. You can either stay with your original faction or choose a new one. Typically, initiates choose the former, but per each Ceremony, there are a couple of transfers.

All the while, I'm thinking, _Erudite or Dauntless? Erudite or Daunt-_

"Beatrice Prior!" Andrew shouts, interrupting my repeating train of thoughts. I stand up slowly and shakily and quickly walk to the middle, where my father awaits. He hands me a knife that I'm supposed to pierce my hand with, letting a drop of blood drip into one of the five bowls, each representing a faction.

Grey stone for Abnegation, water for Erudite, glass for Candor, earth for Amity, and hot coals for Dauntless.

I take the knife from my father, and he looks at me expectantly, menacingly, waiting for me to drop my blood onto the grey stones of Abnegation. They don't look so grey anymore, with splattered blood decorating it.

I pierce my palm, barely registering the pain from all my years of pain ten times worse than a simple knife.

I hold it over the Erudite water, ready to transfer, thinking that at least it's another act of defiance against my father since he hates the Erudite, but as I see the blood seconds away from tainting the water even redder, I let out a shriek and jerk it over the Dauntless coals.

I'm not sure I'm brave.

But I'm free.

**And that's the first chapter! Should I continue? Well, I am going to continue, but feedback would be awesome.**

**Review, favorite, follow!**

**-Cindy:)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there! OMIGOSH I was so happy when I saw how many reviews and favorites and follows this story got! Like, I though it would get 3 at the most for each but NO! There was so much more! Thank you thank you thank you. Anyway, I kinda wanted to clear something up. Tris's and Tobias's lives aren't completely switched. I mean, Tris is abused and Tobias isn't but it's not completely the same. As you keep reading, it will clear up. It's like reading a real book and being confused but then you discover things as you keep reading.**

**Guest: Thanks!**

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**Hi: Hi, here's an update:)**

**Rosa: Thanks. I always try to write my fanfics well. Fanfics with incorrect grammar and spelling annoy me too. Haha.**

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** 46: Thank you thank you thank you! Oh, and Natalie and Caleb will be explained later in the story:)**

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**Enjoy!**

* * *

_I'm not sure I'm brave._

_But I'm free_.

* * *

Right after the Choosing Ceremony ends, the Dauntless leap to their feet and take off running. At first, I'm lost in the sea of black as they all push past me, eager to leave the crowded room. By the time I regain my senses, I'm already far behind everyone. I immediately start running, pushing my legs as far and as fast as they will move; I will not do to fail initiation before it has even started. The long skirt of my grey Abnegation robe doesn't do much to help me, though, so I hitch it up to my knees.

When I finally reach the shouting Dauntless, I only have a second to catch my breath before they start jumping on the train. _Oh my god_, I think.

Panting, I start a steady jog and gradually move faster until I'm running along the quickly moving train. Copying the Dauntless-born, I latch onto a handle and use my arm to pull myself up with a shriek. My wounds from Andrew have not yet healed. I can already feel traces of blood seeping through the fabric of my skirt, and I wince. I have never been through this type of exertion. Usually, I'm forced to grimace in pain as beating upon beating whips my backside, but this? I feel a sharp stinging in my chest and I'm breathless. My hair has come out of its neat bun and flies around my head as I run. But my mind is clear and focused, and I have never felt more alive. My whole body has waken up, like a butterfly flying out of it's cocoon, and I can feel my nerves buzzing as I take in my new surroundings.

I collapse onto the floor of the train, breathing hard as I gasp for air. A layer of sweat lines my forehead, and I use the too-long sleeve of my shirt to wipe it away. Then, while I roll up my sleeves, I stand up.

The train is packed with initiates, the majority dressed in black and the rest a combination of red, blue, and black and white. I'm the only Abnegation initiate.

Everyone is chatting amongst themselves, the loud and soft words blending into incomprehensible sound. I'm relieved to see that nobody has noticed me. I walk in the direction where there is generally no Dauntless-born, as they have gathered into a clump at the front of the train. Near a corner, I spot a Candor standing with her arms crossed, not looking particularly lonely, but rather observing the other initiates.

"I think they want us to die," the Candor girl suddenly says as I sit down at her feet. She raises her eyebrows.

"Huh?" I ask dumbly, unsure whether she was talking to someone else or even just to herself. You never know with the Candor; they tend to blurt out whatever's on there mind at any time.

"Why are you sitting down?" she asks.

"It's a fast train. A fast train means wind. Wind means falling down." She sits down too.

"Hey," she says. "I'm Christina."

Christina has short brown hair that ends just below her shoulders and brown eyes of the same shade. She has chocolaty brown skin and sharp features. She has a good figure, skinny, but curvy at the same time. Unlike me, with my short stature and plain features.

"Hi Christina," I say. She looks at me expectantly, as if waiting for more. But I can't bring myself to tell her my real name. If I tell her, she'll know who I really am: Andrew Prior's daughter. And I don't want her to know that. I refuse to be bound to Andrew in any way, shape, or form, at least not anymore.

I turn away from her, though I can still feel her gaze burning into my back.

"Hey girl," she says after a few silent minutes. "Aren't you going to tell me your name?" Sighing inwardly, I shift my body to face her.

"I don't see why that's relevant." Christina rolls her eyes with a smirk on her face.

"Well, there's a little something called communication, and I'd like to know what to call you whenever I want to talk to you again," she says, nudging my back playfully.

Unfortunately, her elbow bumped one of my largest cuts given to me by Andrew. I wince before I can stop myself, a sharp stab of pain coursing through me. My expression hardens as I stand up and move a few feet away from her. I hear her mutter under her breath in annoyance, most likely calling me a few unflattering things. But I don't care. Who said I even wanted to be her friend?

I don't want to talk to anyone, I don't want to make friends, I don't want to be friendly. I just want to pass initiation and make it into Dauntless. Who knows what might happen if I become factionless? Andrew, for one, would track me down, because it's the Abnegation that provide necessities to them.

Everyone seems to treat me as if I don't even exist, like they've been so used to looking down on the grey-clothed Abnegation that when one actually transfers to Dauntless - which has only happened once, if I remember clearly. Probably not though - no one actually notices.

I make it out of the train ride alive, so hurray for that. But then I see the Dauntless-born, excitement radiating from them as they line up near the open entrance of the train. Christina and a few other transfers stand up and see what the commotion is all about, as do I. Of course, I'm too short to see over some of the Dauntless-borns' towering heads. In the end, it's Christina who finds out what they're doing.

"They're jumping onto the roof!" she shouts incredulously. Murmurs arise from the crowd of ten or so transfers, some in fear, some amazed, but most disbelieving. They couldn't possibly make us jump twenty feet off of a train, right?

Despite our doubts, one by one they take off into the air. Eventually, the transfers all begin following the Dauntless's examples, and they slowly begin filtering out of the train. And then it's just me.

And Christina.

She holds out her hand to me and says, "Let's jump together." I shake my head, shying away from her outstretched hand.

"I can't."

"But you have to," she insists. "Unless you want to be factionless. Do you?" No, I don't. And she's right. If I never want to see Andrew again, I have to jump. Swallowing hard, I shakily take her hand. She drags me to the very back of the bus, with me stumbling along until my back is pressed against the cool metal. "Are you ready?" I take a breath.

"As I'll ever be."

"One, two, three," she counts slowly. "Go!" We both take off, sprinting the short distance between the back of the train and the exit. I can't help but hesitate when the time to jump onto the roof comes. I barely make it, skidding over the edge of the roof and teetering slightly before I land on my hands and knees on the rough pavement. If I had tilted back instead of forward, I'd have fallen off the roof.

To my utter horror, that's exactly what happened to one initiate. I don't dare to look over the roof and see her body, twisted and bloody, but another girl, a Dauntless-born, sobs, kneeling at the edge of the roof. I shudder as a boy, his face stricken, lightly shakes her shoulder and whispers something in her ear, leading her away. I turn back to Christina.

She was far more successful in her leap than mine; she landed well onto the roof, far from the edge, and she's even laughing a bit.

"That was fun!" Yes, Christina will fit in perfectly with the thrill-seeking Dauntless. I shrug, and then turn away. My arm stings from the impact of the rooftop, and I roll up my sleeve to check the damage. The skin's been scraped off, but at least it's not bleeding.

"Ooh. _Scandalous. _A Stiff's flashing some skin!" Peter, a Candor, says. 'Stiff' is the slang term for Abnegation that's supposed to be insulting. I redden, knowing that I'm the only Stiff here, and I roll up my sleeve as fast as I can.

"Listen up!," a man yells, his voice loud and deep. He is walking along the ledge of the roof, the very ledge that I almost fell of from. I can only begin to imagine how he got up here. "My name is Max! I'm one of the leaders of your new faction. The member's entrance to our compound is several stories below. If you, for whatever reason, cannot muster of the courage to jump from this ledge, you don't belong here. Our initiates have the _privilege _of going first." What is it with Dauntless and their love of heights?

_"_You want us to jump of the ledge?" asks an Erudite girl. Her eyes are wide in shock, though I don't see why.

"That would be the point, yes?" Max says, amusedly.

"Is there water at the bottom or something?"

"Why don't you go see for yourself?" he retorts. The girl hesitates, as if she might say more, but decides to quit speaking.

The crowd of Dauntless-born splits in half, making way for someone to walk through.

This is a scare tactic. They wouldn't have their new initiates jump to their death before initiation even started. It would be a waste of new...material. There must be something at the bottom, waiting to catch me.

I have to jump first. I'm not sure if I'm just too proud, or what, but I have to jump first, despite the heights. They all probably view me ask weak already, since I was the last to get on the train, the last to jump of the train. If I don't jump first, I might as well be factionless.

As I walk to the front of the crowd and step up onto the ledge, I can feel the glares of the other initiates burning on my back. They're expecting me to fail. They're expecting me to run back into the crowd, because they already think I'm a coward.

I stand up, my legs trembling, my heart beating. My hands find the buttons on my shirt, and they shakily undo them. Underneath, I'm wearing a tight grey T-shirt. Besides Andrew, no one has ever seen me with so much skin exposed. I throw the shirt at Peter, who I already hate. I think I hear catcalls and shouts, but every sound is blocked off by the wind in my ears or the pounding in my chest. I look down the gaping hole, hoping that I'll see something, anything. But all I see is seemingly endless black. I have to do it now. But I can't. I can't bring myself to jump of the ledge. I stand there for what could be only a few minutes but it feels like days. My face is burning up in horror that I just embarrassed myself more by trying to do the exact opposite. I will be ridiculed throughout initiation, I know it.

"Anytime now, Stiff," Max says impatiently. I take deep breaths, holding in tears of anger and despair.

Then, a pair of hands pushes me, _hard._

I can hear the culprit's laugh echo in my ears as I fall, the sound fading until it disappears. It's Peter's voice.

My body feels weightless, but at the same time, I'm dropping like a rock. I squeeze my eyes shut, my limbs flailing out as I wait to land or maybe to not land at all. Maybe this really is endless. I hear a girl's voice, shrill and high-pitched. Faintly, I realize that it's me.

The wind is knocked out of my lungs as I hit something that's hard but still gives way as my body smashes into it. My whole body hurts as I roll onto my stomach, gasping for air. It's a miracle that my wounds haven't started bleeding again. Or maybe they have. Maybe I just can't feel it through the electricity in my veins

It's a net! I can't hold in a breathy laugh of relief; at least I'm alive.

A pair of slender, calloused hands grabs my elbow and pulls me off the net. While the grip is rough, I feel safe in them, as opposed to Peter's. They hold my shoulders as I steady myself, and then I find myself staring into a pair of entrancing dark blue eyes. They are connected to a man's face, who is undeniably handsome.

"I can't believe it. A Stiff, the first to jump?" It isn't the man who said that, but rather the girl next to him. I shudder; she has three silver rings through her eyebrow. She smirks at me. "Were you pushed?" I swallow and shake my head, not trusting myself to speak.

"There must be a reason why she left them, Lauren," he says, running a hand through his dark brown hair. Then, he turns back to me. "What's your name?"

I freeze. How can I answer this?

"Uh," I say. The guy raises an eyebrow.

"Do you not have a name?" It's all I can do to shake my head. How many times do I have to humiliate myself?

He looks at me skeptically.

Lauren, who seems amused by this says, "So she's Nameless. Make the announcement, Tobias."

"First jumper - Nameless!" Tobias shouts. I expect laughter at the ridiculous name, and there is, but there is also congratulating screams and shouts as a crowd materializes from the darkness. I grin.

Another girl's scream comes from above. It's Christina. The Dauntless reply with louder screams and fist pumping. Tobias, who has been watching this with amusement, turns back to me.

"Welcome to Dauntless."

**Yay! She meets Tobias! By the way, you might be wondering why I made her be the first jumper, or at least attempt to be the first, even when she had a fear of heights. This is because she had an Aptitude for Erudite, so she figured out that there was something to catch her. In the end, she was pushed anyway. Thanks!**

**-Cindy:)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Enjoy!**

_"Welcome to Dauntless."_

It really doesn't take much longer for the rest of the initiates to jump, since they have by now figured out that the bottomless pit is actually quite an illusion. I watch as blurs of color, each one representing the initiate's former faction, fly down and drop into a net. Each time, they bounce up and down a few times. A few of them - the ones that are undoubtedly going to fit in with the Dauntless the most - are laughing as they come down, enjoying the gut-dropping thrill.

After a few more initiates come flying down, I begin to look around the cave-like room. There's only one plausible exit – a dimly-lit, stone tunnel that leads away from the Net, although it gives no clue as to where it leads to. Barely distinguishable murmurs come from outside of the tunnel, telling me that that is most likely where the Dauntless are. I'm still looking at the tunnel when a slender hand seizes my elbow.

Immediately, I shriek and stagger back, falling onto my bottom. As my wrists hit the ground, I realize that it was Christina, and not Andrew, who had grabbed my arm. Even so, I can't help but expect to be hit, even though Christina stands above me, looking worried. My hands go in front of my head, in an attempt to block the punch. I sit in silence for only seconds - although it feels like an hour - with my knees to my chest and my eyes squeezed shut. When nothing happens, I slowly pry my hands away from my face and look up. In an instant, I realize what has happened, and I push myself back onto my feet, stumbling forward. I reach instinctively for Christina's arm to keep myself upright, who hesitates to support me.

Once I've righted myself, I jerk my arm away, as if her arm had become poison.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid_.

Christina stares at me in concern, although there is unmistakable shock hidden within her expression. But what is most prominent is a newfound wariness to Christina as she looks at me, and I hate it. I hate it because I have seen it too many times on the faces of people in Abnegation, of my peers at school, and of anyone who encounters me, who are wary of me simply because I am not like them, because I hang my head while I walk around, unwilling to socialize and forced to mask the pain.

A part of me is relieved to see that no one has noticed this; they are all watching an Erudite initiate drop into the Net. However, that minimal relief is nothing compared to the humiliation I feel from what Christina's just witnessed.

"Whoa. Are you okay?" Christina asks cautiously.

"Y-yeah," I say. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" she presses. "What happened? Did I hurt you?"

"I'm fine!" I reply forcefully.

I'm not sure what I think of Christina. She constantly tries to talk to me, although I'm sure she's noticed that I don't want that. Maybe, if I were willing, we could somehow become friends, but right now, under these circumstances, it would never happen.

We stare at each other for a few seconds, half-expecting the other to say something more, but when it's clear that the conversation is over, we simply turn and face the Net again.

By now, the last initiate - a Dauntless born - has fallen into the Net.

Once everyone is on their feet, Four and Lauren lead us down the tunnel that I had been looking at minutes before. I try to stay behind Christina, but the darkness, even with the dim lighting, and uneven ground makes it difficult. Mostly, I just walk forward, trying to avoid the other initiates who cram into the narrow tunnel, making it impossible for me to be more than a foot away from another person.

The Candor girl in front of me halts, and I catch myself just before I end up smacking into her back. Our three leaders have paused and turned to face us, unsmiling.

"This is where we divide," announces Lauren. "Dauntless born will come with me. I _assume_ you don't need a tour of this place." She raises an eyebrow. In a clump, the Dauntless separate themselves from the group and walk over to Lauren's side. Once she has confirmed that they are all with her, she beckons to them and leads them away. I turn back to Four and Max.

"Transfers," says Tobias, "I will be your instructor for the next few weeks. My name is Tobias."

"Tobias?" Christina asks. "Isn't that an Abnegation name?"

"Do you have a problem with that?" He stares at her, holding her brown-eyed gaze with his deep blue one, until she reddens and looks down. He runs a hand through his tousled brown hair, and I can't help but think that girls must throw themselves at him constantly; He's tall, hot, and sexy, although rather intimidating.

"No," Christina mumbles. His irritated gaze lingers a little longer, and then he turns and leads the rest of us to the end of the tunnel.

"We are going to the Pit first." Christina, who obviously hasn't learned her lesson yet, snickers.

"The Pit? Creative name." Tobias, who seems rather exasperated, faces her with a glare that causes everyone to wince.

"What's your name?" he asks.

"C-Christina," she stutters. Tobias folds his arms, muscles rippling.

"Well," he says, not even bothering to use her name. "If I had wanted to deal with Candor smart-mouths, I'd have gone to their faction. The first thing you'll learn from me is to _stay quiet._ Okay?" She nods.

He pushes open a set of doors at the end of the tunnel as Christina shoots me an annoyed gaze. _Jerk,_ she mouths, as if she wasn't terrified moments before. I roll my eyes.

The doors open and orange light floods into the tunnel. He leads us out and into the so-called Pit.

"Oh," Christina says. "I get it." We are literally in a pit. It is a huge, stone area with places carved in the slanting walls for food, supplies, and leisure. Hundreds of people dressed completely in black shout and talk freely, filling up the Pit with a blend of voices. Little kids run around everywhere, even on the narrow pathways that lack any form of protection against falling, and I refrain from shouting at them to get off. It is so unlike Abnegation, when everyone treated each other politely, but without particular emotion, and no one raised their voice.

We are all gazing at the scene before us, wide-eyed. Tobias watches us, letting us experience this for a few more moments before he hushes us and begins to speak again.

"This is the place where you will spend much of your time after initiation. Learn to love it," he says. Then, he leads us somewhere else, narrating as he walks. "Now, we are heading to the Chasm." We follow him to a part of the Pit that is distinctively darker than the rest of the Pit. As we get nearer, I hear the unmistakable roar of water. We stop at a railing, where there is a raging river below us. As the waves crash against rocks, they splash as high as the ledge that we are standing on. I yelp as the cold water hits my leg.

"The chasm reminds us that there is a fine line between bravery and idiocy." Tobias shouts. "A daredevil jump off this ledge will end your life. It has happened before and it will happen again. You've been warned." As I lean onto the railing, I can't help feeling a distinctive thrill of fear and excitement as I watch the water battle rocks, and the roar of the waves engulfs me.

**So this took way longer than I thought it would. Sorry! This is the worst excuse ever, but I had too much school work. Also, I had writer's block. But yeah, I'm on break so I thought it would be perfect to spend break writing. This honestly isn't the best work, but I like it. I hope you guys liked it!**

**Review, Favorite, Follow!**

**-Cindy:)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, look who updated. I'm literally the worst procrastinator ever. I could have had this up like weeks ago but I spent 95 percent of my time watching Yuna Kim, who is a figure skater by the way, and 5 percent of my time doing homework. Yay. I don't even know if this is good. I proof read only once, so...Hehe.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

We enter the cafeteria, and immediately, hundreds of Dauntless stand, grinning and shouting. Their applaud thunders throughout the whole room. Their words are incomprehensible, but it emits congratulation and victory for another year of tributes. The transfers around me nudge each other, smiling and laughing; I can't help but let a small grin peek through.

Tobias leads us to the middle of the cafeteria, where all the tables are. While they applaud for us, the initiates, settles down, the volume still fills my ears. No matter what, the Dauntless will never quiet down. But there is a kind of beauty in their chaos.

Somehow, I end up at an empty table, sitting a few feet away from Christina and an Erudite transfer called Will, although I am too far for their words to reach my ears in distinguishable sounds. Tobias has also found a place at the table, seated in front of me. I mostly ignore him.

I sigh, thankful for a little time to myself. Initiation has barely started and I'm already dead on my feet. Even worse, I have no idea what's on my plate. It's a dark brown circle of what seems to be meat wedged between two pieces of soft bread. I turn it upside down and around, even taking away the bread from the meat to inspect it closer. I bite my lip. Hmm.

I startle when a hand touches my own, pausing my inspection. My eyes follow the hand of the person up the arm and shoulders, until I'm looking up at Tobias.

"It's beef. Put this on," he instructs, handing me a tube filled with a thick, red sauce.

"You've never had a hamburger before?" Is that what it's called? I turn towards Christina and Will, who have suddenly joined this conversation.

Before I can explain, Tobias has started talking, "Stiffs eat plain food." Christina scrunches up her eyebrows.

"Why?"

"Self-indulgence is considered unneccessary." I say. Christina nods slowly in understanding. Then she smirks.

"No wonder you left."

"Yeah," I say, rolling my eyes a bit. "It was because of the food." As I turn back toward my plate, I notice Tobias's mouth curves up almost imperceptibly.

A hush falls over the room, and I look up as people start murmuring to each other. Strutting confidently into the cafeteria is a man who looks about the same age as Tobias, but definitely more...Dauntless. His face holds so many piercings that almost all I see is the glint of metal under the cafeteria light. I notice, immediately, that he is different. The Dauntless members that I have seen are all loud and rambunctious, but mostly friendly. This man has a coldness in his glare that sends shivers up my spine. The people around me regard him with respect, but when I look at Tobias, the dislike is undeniable.

"Who's that?" Christina asks. I sigh inwardly; she just can't keep her mouth shut. Tobias, it seems, shares the same exasperation that I have and rolls his eyes.

"That's Eric. He's a Dauntless Leader."

"But he's so young!" Christina explains.

"Age doesn't matter here," Tobias retorts.

Eric, to my surprise, walks over to our table, and I wonder why until I notice his gaze is fixated on Tobias only. Are they friends? Tobias's face hardens into a glare when he notices Eric strutting toward us, and I put my head down nervously as Eric sweeps his gaze over our table. When he reaches us, he clears his throat loudly. By now, everyone has already lost interest in their leader and has returned to their loud conversations. And for some reason, Eric has decided to talk to me.

Of course.

"Ooh, a Stiff. We haven't had one of those in a while," he shoots Tobias a pointed look, as if sharing an inside joke. "We'll see how long you last." I don't reply, moving a stack of light green veggies around my plate with a fork. It's better to ignore him than to respond. Besides, he doesn't seem like the person that want to make friends, especially with a Stiff. Definitely not. There is a silence for several seconds, in which Eric waits for me to speak and I continue to stay mute. Then, he directs his attention back to Tobias, although I hear a kind of annoyed disappointment in his tone of voice.

"Care to introduce me, Four?" I dart my eyes forward, shooting Tobias a confused glance, but he confronts Eric steadily, not even sparing me or Christina a single look. Four?

Then, after I return my eyes to my plate that still has a half-eaten hamburger, I hear him say, "This is Nameless and Christina." I feel Eric's gaze burn through the curtain of hair that has fallen into my face, and I can't help looking up.

He watches me with an amused sneer, as if laughing at me.

"Nameless, huh? I guess your parents were really Stiff," he muses. I don't say a word.

"She chose not to reveal her name," replies Tobias flatly.

"Whatever you say, Tobias," Eric jeers. Eric pats Tobias on the shoulder a little to roughly to be friendly. I watch as he stands and joins another table filled with a few other men dressed in black. Tobias huffs in exasperation. I look up hesitantly at him.

"Are you two friends?"

"I thought I would only get smart-mouthed Candor. Now you?" he says sharply. I redden and mumble an apology.

"Why Four?" I ask before I can stop myself. I mentally curse myself; now he's going to kill me.

"What?" Tobias asks, surprised, though I can tell by the way he regards me that he is annoyed.

"Why'd Eric call you Four?" I say. Tobias stares into my eyes, his gaze intense, but I don't look away. It's after a long minute passes and I'm sure he will not reply when I divert my attention back to my plate. Then he speaks, sharp and steady.

"It's my nickname."

* * *

Dinner ends, and we are instructed to follow Eric. He leads us out of the cafeteria and through multiple hallway, finally stopping in a room with several bunk beds, along with bathrooms and showers so exposed that there is almost no privacy.

Eric clears his throat and starts talking. He explains that our training begins at eight o'clock each day and lasts until six, that there is a lunch break at twelve, and that after six, we can do whatever we want.

"Got it?" he asks. We all nod silently. Then, he goes on to explain initiation. "During initiation, you will be ranked. Although you will train separately from the Dauntless born, you will all be ranked together."

Murmurs of confusions arise from the group, and an Erudite girl finally voices our thoughts.

"But why are we ranked?" Eric smiles, his stretched skin pulling at his lip ring, and it looks as if he cannot wait to tell us.

"Not everyone gets into Dauntless," says Eric. My heart plunges to my stomach as everyone starts muttering amongst themselves in confusion, and my breath hitches. Suddenly, I feel very queasy. "There are twenty-one of you; 9 transfers, 11 Dauntless born. Only ten of you will make it." There is about a second of silence.

Then, Molly, a Candor transfer shrieks, "What?"

And now, everybody is shouting.

"Why would you do this?"

"I never signed up for this!"

"If I had known, I wouldn't be here!"

"What happens if you get cut?" asks Christina, hesitantly, although I'm sure everybody knows the answer. And yet, we are all desperately awaiting an answer that is, with any luck, not what we expected.

But it seems that luck is not on our side.

"You leave the Dauntless Compound and live factionless." Eric smirks, seemingly enjoying our desperate protests. Christina sends me a distraught look, but I stare straight at Eric, accepting his challenge. I have already made up my mind.

I will pass initiation.

**Well, there it is. Yes, I know I put a lot of direct-ish quotes from the actual book, but those quotes are too good to be wasted! I promise I will start "straying" from the book as this Fanfic progresses. I hope y'all liked it!**

**Favorite, Follow, Review!**

**-Cindy:)**


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